I, Carla, take you Christopher, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; now and forever

I, Christopher, take you Carla, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; now and forever

Mr. Meerkat even got a bit choked up while saying his vows so I wiped away some of the tears.

After we had shaken the sand from our rings, Roberto started the reading for our ring exchange.

For thousands of years lovers have exchanged rings as a symbol of their commitment. These simple bands are not of great value in and of themselves, but are made precious by our wearing of them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings always serve as a reminder that wherever you go, you may always return to your shared life together.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to passionately love and cherish each other through the years.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold and care for the ones you love.
These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
These are the hands that when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Makes me tear up even reading those words now but I got through the hand ceremony without a flood of waterworks which was one of my biggest fears.

To love is not to possess,
To own or imprison,
Nor to lose one's self in another.
Love is to join and separate,
To walk alone and together,
To find a laughing freedom
That lonely isolation does not permit.

It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one's self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another--and to one's inner self.

Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moon's own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child's scars
Or an adult's deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are--and always secretly were,
In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide.